Chapter 6: Diamond Dreams

He closed in on Delphinia, moving slowly, like he had all the time in the world, closing the gap between them until their faces were just inches apart. The faint scent of his cologne, dark and woody, seemed to envelop her, and she instinctively squinted up at him. His eyes scanned her, taking in the details—starting with her auburn curls and moving down to her collarbone. Then, with a raised eyebrow and a subtle smirk, he straightened to his full height. Delphinia’s lips parted in surprise before her eyes widened. She took a quick step back, her arms crossing over her chest as if shielding herself from his piercing scrutiny. "No freaking way!" she exclaimed, her voice high-pitched with exaggerated disbelief. "I need to save this," she gestured at her body with both hands before hugging herself protectively, "for my future husband." Evander tilted his head slightly, amused by her dramatic reaction, and crossed his arms over his broad chest. The corner of his mouth twitched as he said, "Don’t tell me you’ve never done it with your ex-husband?" Her expression shifted, her lips curling into a sad pout as she looked away, her eyes distant. "Oh, I did... but," she sighed deeply, her shoulders slumping, "the bastard liked spending time with whores more." She glanced back at Evander, her green eyes gleaming with both mischief and a little challenge. "You know what I became? A flower pot in the house. A pretty one, of course, but a flower pot nonetheless." She threw her hands up dramatically, and Evander fought the urge to roll his eyes. "But it’s fine," she added quickly, her voice becoming lighter. "We’re divorced now, and I don’t have to look at his annoying, self-satisfied face anymore. Oh!" Her face brightened suddenly, and she clapped her hands together. "Before I left, I made sure to sprinkle some itchy powder all over the house—on the doorknobs, the bed, the furniture—everything!" She laughed, her voice bubbling with delight. "I hope he scratches his skin off." Evander blinked at her, his usually unreadable face betraying a flicker of something resembling disbelief. Who in their right mind would do something so... ridiculous? And yet, there was something oddly captivating about her audacity. She was pure chaos, and as much as he hated to admit it, she intrigued him. "You’re a strange woman," he remarked. Delphinia grinned at him, unbothered by his observation. "I know, right?" She placed a hand on her hip and puffed out her chest proudly. "But seriously, I don’t get it. Why didn’t he want me? I mean," she leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice as if sharing a juicy secret, "I’m sexier than any of those... women he wasted his time on." Her green eyes glinted with determination as she tiptoed closer to him. Evander stiffened slightly, his gaze dropping to her as she leaned up, her lips just a breath away from his ear. "And everything you see here," she whispered, her voice dripping with pride, "is natural. No surgeries, no implants." To emphasize her point, she lightly tapped her chest and gave her hips a playful sway. His eyes followed the movement before he could stop himself, and he quickly turned away, resetting his face to neutral. "Of course, it’s natural," he muttered under his breath, half to himself. Delphinia stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest again, her expression shifting to one of mock seriousness. "You know," she began, her voice full of mystery, "I think the only reason he liked her better is because she was good in bed. Rumor has it she used to work as a stripper." Her eyes widened dramatically as she added, "Can you imagine that?" Evander’s lips twitched into a barely-there smile, the absurdity of her words almost too much to bear. "Are you jealous of her?" he asked, his voice smooth and teasing. "Jealous?" Delphinia shot back, clearly annoyed. "Of course not! Why would I be jealous of someone so... low?" She stuck her nose in the air, clearly offended by the mere suggestion. Evander couldn’t help the faint chuckle that escaped him. This woman was something else entirely. "So, what is it that you want in a husband, then?" he asked, his tone light but curious. Delphinia’s face lit up with a broad smile, and she nodded enthusiastically. "A rich one, of course. Handsome, generous, someone who can shower me with diamonds and branded bags." She clasped her hands together as if envisioning her dream life. "I want to show that bastard what real diamonds look like!" Evander raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious now. "What do you mean by that?" Her expression darkened, and she huffed in frustration. "The ring he gave me when we got married? A fake diamond!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "And not just fake—it was tiny, like the size of an ant’s eye!" Her voice rose with each word, and she glared at him as if expecting him to share in her outrage. Evander pressed his lips together, trying—and failing—to suppress a laugh. "The size of an ant’s eye?" he echoed, his tone laced with skepticism. "I’m serious!" Delphinia insisted, her cheeks flushing with indignation. "And his whole family—ugh, don’t even get me started! They all wore these massive diamond necklaces and looked down on me like I was some charity case. Oh, and his sister? She was so jealous of me." "Jealous of what?" Evander asked, though he had a feeling he knew where this was going. Delphinia waved her hand over her body, giving a little dramatic gesture. "This," she said, as if it were obvious. "My boobs, my butt. She couldn’t stand it. She even stole all my bags, my shoes, my clothes—everything! And she got away with it, leaving me with nothing." She sighed dramatically, shaking her head. "I’m broke as hell now." Evander watched her with mild amusement, his arms still crossed. "What about your family? Can’t they help you?" Delphinia’s playful demeanor faltered slightly, and she pouted, her lips forming a perfect little bow. Evander found the expression oddly captivating—flirty, even, though he doubted she was doing it on purpose. "Please," she said with a wave of her hand, "they don’t want me back. And I don’t want to go back, either. If I did, they’d probably marry me off again to some old geezer just to boost the Harrington family’s fortune or business or whatever." She wrinkled her nose in distaste, her tone dripping with disdain. Evander’s gaze sharpened at her words. Harrington? So, she was one of those Harringtons. Interesting.